Bills and Money

The application “Bills and Money” has a lot of different options. The first one, “Counting Bills and Coins”,
shows you pictures of bills and coins and asks you to add them amount. “Show me the money” gives you an amount and a
“coin bank” from which you drag the appropriate coins to make the amount. The “Making
Change” option adds the element of story problems to the app; it asks students
to find the change after a certain transaction has a ocurred. “Matching Amounts” helps students practice
making the same amounts with different representations of coins and bills. With the “Show Values” option, students are free to drag any bills or
coins into the box, then find the total value at the click of a button.

Pros: There are so
many different options and ways to use this app in class. Whether it’s through the document camera with
the whole class, with small groups, individuals, or stations in the classroom,
this app is really helpful in students gain fluency with currency. Not only can you choose the activity, but you
can also choose a level of difficulty. The
strength of the app is definitely its flexibility to meet the students’ needs.
Cons: I can’t really
think of any cons to this application, except that some of the pictures of the
bills are not super clear and hard to read. If I were to knitpick, I would say that the
way the answer pops up in the blue box after you answer the question is a bit
annoying and slows down the process; it would be better if it just shows up on
the original screen in red.